As part of Love:Live Music Day on June 21st, Na Píobairí Uilleann are hosting “Try the Pipes” events in 6 locations around the country. Members of the public will have the opportunity to try a set of uilleann pipes with the assistance of an experienced player and people of all ages are encouraged to have a go.

The Uilleann pipes are the uniquely Irish form of the bagpipes – a family of instruments familiar throughout Europe as well as parts of Asia and Africa. Uilleann Pipes first appeared in the first half of the 18th century in Ireland and Britain and were developed to their modern form in Ireland over the following 50 to 60 years. It is the most highly developed of all bagpipes, having a chanter capable of sounding two full octaves, as well as other features such as regulators, which allow chordal accompaniment.

The unique sound of the pipes has given them iconic status around the world thanks to the great players of the last century, including Séamus Ennis and Willie Clancy, and the instrument has been central to the signature sound of groups such as The Chieftains, Planxty, The Bothy Band, Moving Hearts, Ceoltóirí Chualainn and in Riverdance. The sound has achieved worldwide recognition and admiration also through its use in films such as Titanic, Braveheart and Rob Roy.

So why not come along and have a pop at piping?

About Na Píobairí Uilleann

Na Píobairí Uilleann (NPU), the Society of Uilleann Pipers was founded in 1968 by pipers with the aim of protecting a threatened art form. Now, forty five years later, NPU is a thriving arts organisation with thousands of members, dedicated to servicing the aims and needs of uilleann pipers worldwide. It is the ambition of NPU to establish the music of the uilleann pipes as a major art form around the world in the 21st century. Since unveiling its restored Georgian premises at 15 Henrietta St, Dublin in January 2007, NPU has been busy catering for the expanding demand for regular tuition as well as releasing a number of significant publications and recordings. With demand for pipes considerably exceeding supply, a dedicated Training Centre – PipeCraft – has been established to deliver training in the very highly skilled craft of uilleann pipemaking. NPU’s commitment to tuition, both on a weekly basis at its premises and internationally, continues to grow, along with its public performance programme.

NPU also maintains a significant online presence. Source, our web-based piping and traditional music resource, makes available our accumulated training, tutorial and archive materials to lovers of Irish music around the world.

Na Píobairí Uilleann’s primary funding agencies include the Department of Arts, Heritage and Gaeltacht, The Arts Council / An Comhairle Ealaíonn and Dublin City Council